YinYang
by reddwarfaddict
Summary: When the Doctor dies and doesn't regenerate, freaky things start to happen in the TARDIS... Rose and 10.5 are caught in battle between two unstoppable forces - the Yin-Yang of the Doctor himself. DocWhump
1. Death Of The Doctor

**A/N:** Disclaimer: Don't-don't ooooooown... Noo, nooooooooo... no no nooo, nooo, dooon't oooown! (To theme of Doctor Who. Which I also don't own.)

I'll admit, it's totally my bad that Ransom hasn't been updated in FOREVER, I hit a massive wall which I just CAN'T get by, so in the hopes that my muse will come back I wrote a couple of other things...

**Canon** is post-Journey's End. It's an A/U where 10.5 and Rose stayed on the TARDIS with the Doctor at the end of series four. Don is 10.5, and incase you find yourself wondering, Don is short for Donald, which is sort of like Donna :D I imagine Rose calls him Donny to annoy him... :P

Posting two stories at the same time with fundamentally the same characters may confuse some people! But have no fear, this is probably going to be quite short and not updated as frequently. So meh.

* * *

Chapter 1 – Death Of The Doctor

**Yin-Yang, definition**: 

_The two great opposite but complementary forces at work in the cosmos.  
While "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong.  
Their balance is essential to harmony and health. Together they express the interdependence of opposites.  
They cannot exist without each other._

Don and Rose tore down the corridor of the Scientist's base towards the Experimentation Room, arms flailing and hearts hammering in their chest with complete and total fear at the horror that was unfolding before them…

Suddenly someone screamed. They both knew that voice. And it was a scream of _pain_.

"DOCTOR!" Rose shrieked as she burst into the Experimentation Room just in time to find the Doctor strapped down to a chair in the middle of machinery, rigid in his bonds, electricity coursing through his body with his eyes wide.

"Shut it off!" Don yelled, running to the control panel, hammering buttons in a frenzy. In seconds the electricity stopped and the Doctor fell still, hanging limply in his restraints with his eyes closed.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled again, leaping forward towards him. He didn't move.

"Doctor," Don said quickly, moving forward. "Rose, get him out!"

Obediently she pulled open the clamps holding him down, catching him in her arms as he slid down.

Don helped her lay him down on the floor, Rose lightly slapping his face.

"Doctor, wake up!" Rose urged him as Don quickly checked his vitals. "Wake up!"

Don was resting his fingers on the Doctor's neck, his other hand on his chest, checking for a heartbeat and a pulse. "Rose," he said quietly.

"You'll be okay, Doctor…"

"Rose."

Rose stopped, looking up at Don anxiously. Her face fell at his expression "No… Please… No, Don."

"… He's dead."

"No," she gasped, hand over her mouth as she continued to shake the Doctor, tears coursing down her face. "This isn't happening! No, no, it can't, it can't..." she trailed off, sobbing quietly as she held his unmoving hand to her face.

In a last desperate attempt to deny what was happening, Don slowly reached up to the Doctor's face, resting his fingers on his temples to try and find any hint of telepathic energy. He waited for a minute. But there was nothing. He moved his hand down the Doctor's face, and drew down his eyelids with a finger and thumb.

"We need to get out of here," he said quietly, not moving his gaze from the Doctor. "The whole place is going to crash down around our heads soon."

Rose nodded, sniffing. She placed the Doctor's hand by his side, kissing his forehead gently before she pushed herself to her feet. Don gathered the Doctor up in his arms, lifting him up to carry him back to the TARDIS.

* * *

Rain hammered down on the collective group of friends in the moody atmosphere of a stormy Sunday night, a fitting scene for a funeral. Rose had phoned everyone of their friends; Jack, Mickey, Martha, Sarah Jane... Sarah Jane had in turn phoned the Brigadier, who had greeted Don warmly after a small explanation of why and how Don existed, though still not really understanding it.

None of them had believed her at first and Rose understood perfectly why that was. She somehow hoped that this was all some sick, crazy dream, and that she'd wake up in a moment and the Doctor would be alive, complaining about how much humans slept and would she like some scrambled eggs on toast. But now the reality of the situation was sinking in as they stood around a grave in the pouring rain with the Priest speaking, his voice barely audible above the howling winds and rain.

"We now commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life," the Priest said as the coffin containing the Time Lord was slowly lowered into the ground, and hit the bottom. Rose sobbed into Don who held her tightly in comfort, shielding them both from the unrelenting rain with an umbrella.

Soon the funeral was over and everyone gathered under a nearby tree, sharing tears and stories of the Doctor together; the adventures they'd had, the laughter they had shared.

Hours passed without them even noticing and as the rain finally stopped, soon it was time to leave. The Brigadier stepped up to Rose, smiling reassuringly.

"Rather splendid chap, he was," the Brigadier said, firmly shaking her hand. "He will never be forgotten, that I can assure you."

"We'll keep defending the Earth, for him," Mickey added.

"In his name," Jack added, Martha nodding beside him.

"Be strong," Sarah said gently to Rose, hugging her tightly. "He's alive as long as we keep his memories alive."

Rose nodded, sniffing. "I don't know what to do now. I wasn't ready for this. All those years, we knew this might happen, but I never..." She sniffed again, struggling to speak, "... This is all I have. I chose him over my Mum. And now he's dead."

"You have Don," Sarah said. "And he has you. You both still have the TARDIS. You can do whatever you want to do. And if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

Rose nodded again as Sarah pulled away, and Don quickly took his place by her side, holding her again.

Everyone made their farewells and left, leaving Don and Rose alone next to the Doctor's grave.

* * *

And that was that. They went back to the TARDIS, bidding good night to each other as though nothing were wrong before they went their separate ways to bed.

Unbeknown to each other they both laid in their beds, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Rose held a giant teddy bear close to her, sobbing into his fabric quietly so Don wouldn't hear.

The TARDIS felt so empty and cold without him. There was no reassuring periodic _clunk _of hammer-on-metal to signify the Doctor working on the TARDIS, or the soft sounds of a type of alien music she didn't recognise coming through the walls to lull her to sleep. There was only silence. A silence that was deafening.

"Rose are you awake?" suddenly came a whispered voice from the doorway, and Rose fell silent. It was Don. "Rose?"

She didn't answer. After a moment the door closed, and he was gone.

She turned over to face the wall, tears still staining her cheeks.

She really didn't know what to do now.

Maybe Don would know how to reopen the gap between the Universes. Maybe she could go back to her Mum, Pete and Tony.

Comforted by the thought, she closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep she swore she could hear the familiar melodic alien music in the distance, a gentle hand cupping her face, the feeling of cold lips pressing against her forehead, the tender voice echoed and distant...

"_I'm here, Rose."_

But when she opened her eyes moments later, there was no one there.


	2. Most Haunted

Chapter 2 – Most Haunted

Breakfast seemed quiet without him. Usually he'd be running around the kitchen barely dressed cooking up everything he could find into strange inedible combinations – but today there was only silence as Don and Rose ate together.

"Were you playing the Doctor's music last night?" Don asked suddenly, breaking the ten minute silence that had reigned between them.

She froze. "No... Why?"

Don shrugged. "I heard it playing. Must be broken or something."

Rose didn't answer, for a moment just staring at the wall as what had happened the night before flashbacked in her mind. "Don.. do you believe in ghosts?"

Don gazed at her for a moment, considering. "I believe there's a logical, scientific explanation for everything, and what we can't understand we try to by classifying it into something we can identify with."

Rose blinked. "No, then?"

Don grinned. "No, I don't. Why?"

It was Rose's turn to shrug now. "No reason."

Don gazed at her again. "If you're sure."

There was a long pause before Rose spoke again, her voice dropped to a whisper, "what do we do?"

There was another long pause before he answered, just as quiet, "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I thought..." Rose paused, her gaze dropping to the table as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "... Could we get back to the parallel universe?"

"What?"

"... Is there a way we can?" She looked up at him, but his expression almost broke her heart.

"You want to go back to your Mum," he said shortly, disbelievingly. Rose didn't answer, looking back down at the table again. "Rose..."

"You can come too," she said quickly, interrupting him. "Stay in the mansion."

"No."

Rose blinked. "What?"

"We can't travel to the parallel universe without ripping them both apart, you know that," Don explained, almost angrily.

"I just thought..."

"Well you didn't think!" Don retorted, getting up onto both feet and almost sending his chair flying backwards. "He's gone, Rose! And now it's just us! We have to move on!"

"Sorry," Rose said quietly.

"Yeah, you'd better be, sister!" Don shouted back, waggling a finger. Then he realised what he'd done, freezing in mid-waggle and staring at his finger. "Donna?" he tried tentatively.

Rose burst into laughter as Don stared at his finger, perplexed. He couldn't help laughing with her until they were both out of breath, chests hurting, double over.

"Ah, we don't need him," Don said boisterously as their laughter died. "We'll be just fine."

Rose nodded, still unable to wipe her smile off of her face. "Yeah, we will."

"What do you want to do today?" Don asked, helping her to her feet.

"Maybe we can just stay in?"

"We can marathon Desperate Housewives!" Don said happily, beaming.

Rose sniggered. "Donna, again."

He paused, frowning. "No, pretty sure that was the Doctor."

Rose laughed again, linking her arm in his. "Okay girlfriend, I'll get the nail varnish out and we can have a proper girl's day together."

"... That actually sounds kind of appealing," Don admitted, frowning again.

"I really hope that's Donna talking..."

"Me too..."

* * *

Rose was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow that night. It had been one long day of spending time with Don, laughing together and having fun together, never forgetting what they were trying to move on from but very much towards the back of their minds.

Rose jerked awake, eyes snapping open as she launched up to sitting position, not quite knowing what had awoken her.

She could hear the Doctor's alien music playing quietly from a distant room, and she went completely rigid. Don had said it was probably broken. It was just broken.

She forced herself to take a few calming breaths – this was ridiculous. A broken music player was putting her on edge. Slowly she lowered herself back down to lie on the pillows, turning her head right, towards the doorway.

And came face-to-face with a pure black shadowed figure of the Doctor.

She screamed, and the figure shimmered out of existence. Seconds later the door flew open and Rose only calmed down when she saw it was Don, his hair all over the place in the sure signs that he'd just woken up. He ran over to her, hugging her tightly.

"What? Was it a nightmare?"

Rose held onto him tightly, her head buried into his shoulder. "It was real... I thought I saw..."

"What?" he asked, rubbing her back gently.

"It was him," Rose whispered, drawing back and pointing at the doorway. "He was standing there... He was a black shadow... He..." Her voice cracked. "His expression... He was going to kill me."

Don didn't know what to say. "... Are you sure?"

She nodded into his chest. A few silent minutes passed before he let go, pushing her gently to lay back down.

"Go to sleep," he said.

"You don't believe me," Rose said flatly, staring up at him.

He shrugged. "I haven't seen it."

"The music's playing again," Rose whispered.

"It's just broken," Don replied. "I'll fix it tomorrow."

"You really think I was imagining it?"

"You've been through a lot, Rose. It's normal for your mind to play tricks on you."

Rose could only nod. Maybe she _was_ imagining things. Trick of the light, nothing more. Don gave her one last hug before he got up and left, leaving Rose to sleep.

But she didn't sleep a wink for the rest of the night.

* * *

Breakfast felt a lot lighter than it had yesterday. Don already had coffee and cereal ready for her when she walked into the Kitchen.

"Did it happen again?" Don asked, pushing the bowl of Cheerios towards her. She shook her head. "Just your imagination."

"Maybe," Rose replied, downing the coffee in the space of two seconds, and very quickly got rid of her Cheerios after that. "That first night... I was wishing I could hear him in the background, hitting stuff and playing his music like he always did..."

Don got to his feet stacking the plates and leaving them on the side for the TARDIS to deal with, washing his hands in the sink. "It's just coincidence."

"I know... it's just..." she paused, sighing. "It started playing a little after that. Then... I felt someone touching me... I heard a voice."

"This isn't Most Haunted, Rose."

"You really don't believe me," Rose said flatly, staring at him.

"No, I don't," he answered straight. "Ghosts don't exist, they're just what we file our unexplained experiences under to try and make sense out of chaos."

Just as he was speaking there came the sound of something rumbling next to the sink. They both looked over to the source – it was a knife holder, vibrating violently on the worktop as though it were in an earthquake. Don's eyes widened in surprise, staring at the knife holder as the knives inside began to somehow lift out of it, slowly but surely...

Don began to stumbled backwards, never moving his eyes off of the knives as all six of them were finally out, turning now in the air on their own to point directly towards him.

There was a slight pause.

"RUN!" Don yelled, ducking as the knives jumped forward towards him, narrowly missing his head and implanting themselves in a cupboard door. He ran over to Rose, grabbing her hand and wrenching her out of her seat, pushing her towards the door. "GET OUT!" he yelled, turning back to check where the knives were...

But the entire kitchen was now alive. Cutlery, saucepans, plates, knives, even the toaster was joining in, flying around the room in a whirlwind waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The knives pulled themselves out of the cupboard door and turned quickly back around towards him. Everyone other piece of flying appliance seemed to stop throwing itself around the room, and now just turned towards Don.

He gulped.

The cooker suddenly and unexpectedly lurched forward, pinning him to the wall within metres of the door he could hear Rose calling through – he couldn't escape – the flying utensils were now all lined up in a row, pointing towards him, ready to strike...

They began to hurtle forward.

Suddenly the fridge slid across the floor, placing itself in front of him. Several loud _thunk_s followed, signifying the attacking Kitchen implements hitting the fridge. Seeing his opportunity Don pushed the cooker away from him, slipping out from behind it and using the table for cover to get towards the door. The assaulting cutlery had bounced back now, hurling itself towards him but he was too quick, scrambling for the Kitchen door and throwing it open, slamming it shut again behind him and grabbing Rose, pushing her to lean against the wall as more _thunk_s hammered against the Kitchen door where he had been moments before... then all was silent.

For a minute Don just panted, staring at Rose in disbelief.

"Okay," he gasped, chest heaving. "Now I'm a believer."


	3. Vistation

Chapter 3 – Visitation

The music was playing again. Don had said there was nothing wrong with the player – it wasn't broken. There was something else seemingly pressing play, something that wasn't the TARDIS. And with all that had happened during that day Rose was almost fully convinced that maybe that the Doctor's spirit wasn't fully at rest; or however the cliché went.

It was 2am and she was once again staring at the ceiling, wondering if he'd visit her tonight. Even with that expression of pure hatred and malice on his face, she would give anything to see him again. But... why would he touch her and talk to her like he did on the first night if he wanted to kill her?

She waited. And waited. It was 2am when she finally began to drift without realising it… But then she jerked awake. Something had woken her up. She turned over quickly towards the door, and there he was. The Doctor. Staring at her with bright white eyes through the blackness of everything else, his teeth gritted, his eyebrows lowered, his fists clenched.

Rose resisted the urge to scream, forcing herself to calm down. She had to try and talk with him, try and understand why he was here...

"Are... Are you the Doctor?" she asked shakily, her eyes transfixed to his. He didn't answer, but simply began to walk forward. Rose's heart raced as she grabbed her teddy, holding it to her chest as though it would offer some sort of protection.

"Please, please Doctor... t-talk to me... It's Rose... I'm Rose..."

He continued to walk forward, getting faster and faster with every step.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Rose whispered, hugging the teddy tighter than ever. Black aura was dancing all over him as he stopped within a metre of her. He hissed and gasped, spitting in a voice that barely resembled a human or a Time Lord alike...

"_Rose... Tyler..."_

He began to reach out to her...

"DON!" she screamed. The figure quickly dissipated seconds before Don burst through the door, looking cautiously around the room.

"Him again?"

She nodded. "He walked towards me... reached out... He said my name."

Don moved over to the bed, giving her a reassuring hug. "It's okay, he would never hurt you, ghost or not."

"Stay with me?"

He grinned. "Make room, then."

She shifted over, allowing him to climb in the bed beside her and draw the covers over them both.

"It's cold in here," Don muttered, shivering. "Is your heating on?"

"It's on max," she whispered back.

"Ah," Don muttered, drawing her closer with an arm. "Get some sleep. We can go out tomorrow, if you want."

She nodded.

* * *

Rose awoke once again with a jolt. Instinctively she looked to her right at the doorway…

There he was. Staring at her with that awful expression, his eyes shining brightly…

"Don…" she whispered, shaking the snoring man beside her gently. "Don, wake up…"

Don groaned in a half sleep, batting away her hand before turning over and slipping quickly back into sleep. The Doctor's ghost stepped forward, ever closer…

"Don!" she urged, "wake up!!!"

"Wha…" Don muttered, opening his eyes blearily.

The ghost stepped forward again…

"DON!" she shrieked in a panic, giving him a massive push and consequently almost making him topple out of the bed.

"Okay, okay!" Don yelped, scrambling desperately as he used the bedside table to push himself groggily onto his feet before lifting his head to gaze across the room…

_"Don…"_ the ghost rasped.

"Whoa," Don muttered, staring at the sight before him. The ghost took another step forward. "Stop right there, Ghost Boy." Don cringed, knowing this was not the time for Donna.

"Doctor," he said quickly, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm so sorry, but you're dead. Dead as in... deceased, kaput, finished, stiffie, bereft of life, inanimate, no more, passed away, perished..." Don stumbled backwards as the ghost stepped even closer, pushing him back towards the bed where Rose was still sat, clutching the teddy. "Please, Doctor, please let us help…"

The back of his legs hit the bed, but still the ghost advanced, his expression unchanged…

"Are you angry at being dead? Are you trying to warn us of something? Err… err…" Panic was rising in Don's chest… "Err… Unfinished business? Is that it?" The ghost continued forwards. "No? Okay, err… Ah! Carousel! This is like Carousel? No? Right… err…" Closer… _closer… _"You're annoyed at something! Something we did! Rose, did you use his razors to shave your legs again?"

But before Rose had a chance to reply the ghost stopped in front of Don, staring right through him. He suddenly threw out a hand straight into Don's chest, his ghostly fist passing right through him and out the other side so Rose could see it. She cried out in shock but now Don was crying out with pain, his entire body shaking violently as though he were having a seizure, his body falling completely limp but the fist through his chest held him up…

"Don!" Rose cried. The ghost suddenly shimmered away and Don lost all support, his scream abruptly cutting out before he collapsed to the floor in a heap of disorderly limbs, unmoving.

Silence.

Rose stared at the unconscious man lying on the floor before her, breathing heavily, her heart hammering in her chest as she clutched the teddy even tighter. After a moment she managed to gather her wits, calming herself down enough to place a foot on the floor, making to move forward towards Don.

Suddenly Don raised his head sharply, almost robotically, turned away from her and facing towards the door.

"Don?" Rose asked tentatively. "… Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. He was panting heavily as though unused to oxygen, his chest heaving. He slowly began to turn his head towards her, shrouded in complete darkness, but Rose could see the shining white eyes glowing in the dark even before the light caught his face…

"_Rose…" _he rasped, his expression full of anger and hate…

"No, Don…" Rose whispered, backing up against the wall as Don slowly rose to his feet, his shoulders hunched as he stared at her… "No! Don, Doctor, please!"

He reached forward. Rose closed her eyes, waiting…

Suddenly there was a high-pitched buzzing sound, and Rose opened her eyes just in time to see a burst of pure white light erupted from the teddy bear Rose was gripping, rippling out across the room and smashing into Don. He flew backwards across the room, crashing into the opposite wall and sliding down, coughing and choking as black smoke explode out of his mouth and spiralled upwards. It was seconds before it completely dispersed, leaving Don lying against the wall, his eyes closed.

"What the…" Rose looked down at the teddy bear she held, but something else was happening. Something was coming out of the teddy, something white, something shining…

It was a small, white, glowing sphere of light. It fell out of the teddy and onto the duvet covers, rolling until it stopped on the end, still. Even as Rose stared at it she knew it wasn't evil. It irradiated happiness and love, beaming it out all around it to give Rose a sense of peace and contentment through the panic of what had happened.

"Rose?"

She looked up. Don was awake, holding the back of his head and he slowly got to his feet, blinking.

"Don, look," she indicated the ball on the cover, reaching forward towards it.

"No, don't touch it," Don said quickly, moving forward to grab her hand. "That thing… It was him. I could feel him. All his hatred and anger, all the bad memories… It was him. It was the Doctor. And he's dangerous."

"This isn't bad," Rose said lightly, smiling. "Can't you feel it?"

Don paused, looking down at the sphere of white. She was right. He knew it wasn't bad. Rose reached forward, taking the sphere in both hands. It pulsated with light before it fell dim again, and Rose smiled.

"It's him. I know it's him."

Don placed his hand on the ball of light. He instant felt pure happiness burst through him, the pain in his head numbing as love and care bounded through him like leaping deer. Good memories, happy memories were running through his mind like a show reel. This was the Doctor.

"Take it to the TARDIS console," Don said gently, helping Rose up. "She'll know what to do."


	4. Tah, Mate

**A/N: **Rubbish chapter. Then again they're all rubbish. I doth apologise :o

* * *

Chapter 4 – Tah, Mate

The second Rose placed the white sphere on the console, the TARDIS began to hum. The lights suddenly dimmed all around them as the TARDIS focused all of her power into the sphere, caressing it, coaxing it out. After a few moments the sphere began to lift up, hovering in the air...

It shone brightly, manifesting itself into a new form. Don and Rose shielded their eyes before the light began to recede and they drew back their hands to see the light had taken the shape of a body – the Doctor. But instead of the blackness they had become accustomed to this Doctor was pure white with black eyes, tendrils of light flooding out around him to create the magnificent image of a completely serene Doctor standing in front of them, smiling.

"_Hello," _he said in a voice that was calmed and perfectly even.

"Hi," Rose whispered.

"_Don't be afraid," _ he said.

"We're not."

"Just slightly weirded out," Don admitted.

"_Something's gone wrong."_

"No kidding, Sherlock," Don muttered, rolling his eyes.

Rose elbowed him in the side. "Continue," she said to the Doctor's ghost, smiling.

"_I am all that is good in the Doctor, I represent his light. You have already seen his side of darkness. Somehow we've been torn forcedly out of our host entity, that is the Doctor, and are now living as separate beings in the outside world."_

"Which is why his dark side is trying to kill us?" Rose asked.

The ghost shook his head. _"He was not trying to kill you. He was trying to kill me. He wants to be the dominant force in the Doctor and the only way that will happen is if I am destroyed. He was never trying to kill you. I was in the teddy you were holding, Rose."_

"You were in the Kitchen too when he went all Stephen King on me?" Don asked.

The ghost nodded. _"You were getting caught in the crossfire, so I protected you by moving the fridge."_

"So what do we do?" Rose asked, turning to Don.

"Kill the dark side?" Don suggested.

Rose shook her head instantly. "No, we can't kill it, it's part of the Doctor, it's his balance. Besides that, we can't actually touch it."

"He can," Don said, gesturing to the ghost standing in front of them. "Though..." he paused, mulling it over. "No offence, but compared to him... well... you're tiny."

"_I am sorry," _the ghost said, looking a bit forlorn.

"Why are you so small?" Rose wondered. "The Doctor was a relatively nice guy... Is size, like, dominance?"

"_The other ghost represents all of his bad thoughts, bad memories, bad decisions and bad feelings. I am the polar opposite."_

"But he seemed kinda happy," Rose said, shrugging.

"Okay, but what do we do now?" Don said quickly, seemingly eager to move the conversation on. "We can't kill it, so we trap it?"

"But then what?" Rose asked, frowning.

"_I am tired," _the ghost standing in front of them suddenly said.

"Mental blast really takes it out of you, right?" Don asked, grinning. "Okay, rest. We'll protect you, and sort this out."

The ghost smiled gratefully, then disappeared in a blip of light. The sphere on the console dimmed as the TARDIS lights came back up again.

"So is the Doctor actually dead?" Rose wondered.

Don shrugged. "Pretty lively for a dead guy. But you saw it. No heartbeat, no brainwaves, nothing. He's deader than Ugg Boots." He paused, frowning. "Donna was into fashion?"

"But how did this happen?" she asked again, interrupting his identity crisis.

"We need to go back to the source. The Scientific base. Maybe if we can find out exactly how he died we can sort this whole mess out."

* * *

They arrived specifically three weeks after they had left, the base they had near destroyed beginning to commence rebuilding. After a flash of the psychic paper they were escorted to where the Scientists dwelled in a temporary home near the rebuilding. Don politely knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by a small red alien wearing cartoon glasses.

"Hello," Don said brightly, looking down at the small alien. "We're from the Intergalactic Federation of Investigation into Business-related err... Sabotage, we would like to ask you a few questions."

The alien looked slightly confused. "Cha?"

"Oh," Don's face fell. "Thought this might happen." He looked to the alien again. "Ma la fah sah bip boo kah kah?"

"Pah poo loo li foo fi fy cha ba," the alien answered, smiling.

"Gah," Don answered, then turned to Rose. "We've lost the translation circuit."

"Right," Rose muttered as they were ushered inside to a small, well-kept sitting room. The alien disappeared for a moment as more small red aliens across the room stared at them as though they were potential experimental specimens.

Minutes later a mug of green slush was given to each of them, looking less appealing to Rose than drinking her own urine. The alien who had met them at the door said something to the others across the room before sitting down next to Don and Rose. "Jah?"

Don turned to the alien. "Pah no kah cha bin boo bop bi chi?"

The alien looked surprised. "Lo! Poo pi pah gah boo ki kah too."

Now it was Don's turn to look surprised. "Cha? Ki kah?"

"Goo moo loo lie jah! Hee lee lie bie die doo poo poo!" The aliens across the room suddenly looked very interested in the conversation.

"Bloody hell!" Don exclaimed. "Gi yah yi poo la wee wi fi!"

"Haa hee tee, tah!"

"Blah!"

"Loo koo poo tee fah sah cah bah bee!"

"Blah bloo!"

"Chee choo choo mah mi koo!"

Rose sat staring at her cup of green sludge for what felt like ages as the conversation continued. She decided to take a tentative sip. It tasted like mushy peas.

Finally after ten minutes Don tapped her on the shoulder and got to his feet, bowing courteously to the group of red aliens. She followed his lead, bowing politely. "Poo bah li laa tah tah, kah," Don said, smiling.

The alien nodded and bowed courteously in return, showing them to the door.

Once they were out, Don turned to Rose. "Blimey," he breathed. "You get that?"

"Apparently not," Rose answered dryly.

"The machine he was electrocuted with... it didn't actually electrocute him. Well it did, but it didn't," Don said quickly in a very Doctor-like manner. "It was a prototype developed, it hasn't been tested, it's meant to filter the bad memories and good memories into to separate entities to be messed with to put them back."

"So what do we do?"

"The Scientists can easily put these entities back in the Doctor, but they need them both. We need to trap the bad side of the Doctor and bring both good and bad back here."

"Then the Doctor will be alive?" Rose asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't know about that," Don admitted. "Priority one is catching the bad. And we're gonna need some help. To Cardiff!"


	5. A Freakin' Rocket Launcher?

Chapter 5 – A Freakin' Rocket Launcher?

"Jack!"

The metal door of the Hub rolled back unannounced and seconds later Jack looked up from his desk to find Don and Rose sauntering into his office, looking casually around.

"What?" he asked.

"We need you," Don said, perching himself on the desk in front of Jack. "We have a problem."

"Problem?" Jack echoed, confused.

"Long story short, we need to catch an unbeatable dark spirit that embodies the complete evil of the Doctor, his bad thoughts, bad memories, bad feelings etcetera, and if we don't put both the good side and the bad side back into the Doctor where they belong pretty damn soon then the dark spirit will most likely get out and kill his good side and grow in strength until it has enough power to destroy human life as we know it and then eventually it could probably claim dominion over the entire known and unknown Universe and... well... the end," Don answered, giving a shrug.

Jack blinked.

"We need to catch a bad guy," Rose reiterated, smiling.

"Ah!" Jack exclaimed, bouncing onto his feet, grabbing his gun from off of the table and checking his ammunition.

"Err..." Don pointed at the gun. "Probably won't work."

Undeterred, Jack put down the gun. "Laser gun?"

"Nope..."

"Portable Meson gun?"

"Nadda..."

"EMP gun?"

"Nah..."

"Time Lock?"

"No..."

Jack's brow was beginning to furrow. "Proton Blaster?"

"Newp..."

"Sub Etheric Resonator?"

"No..."

"Jamolean Lance?" he asked desperately.

"No..."

"A freakin' rocket launcher?"

"No, Jack."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, we got this thing caught, no problem," he said sarcastically.

"We can't kill it, Jack," Rose said. "It's part of the Doctor. It's what makes him. We need to trap it somehow."

"Mirrored box!" Jack suddenly said. "Like a portable prison cell but doesn't have a rubbish battery life."

"Perfect," Don said. "If we can lure it somehow to a place to catch it..."

"What's happening?" a voice suddenly came from the doorway, and they all turned to find Martha leaning on the doorframe, staring at them all.

"We need to catch a bad guy," Rose said, grinning. "You in?"

"Who's the bad guy?"

"The Doctor."

Martha stared. "What?"

Don took a deep breath. "The Doctor died by electrocution, or so we thought, but after me and Rose went to the place of incident we found out he wasn't actually electrocuted, but the bad side of his mind and the good part of his mind have somehow been ripped out of their host entity and are now roaming around as embodiments of good and evil, the evil is trying to kill the good to be a dominant force in the Doctor and if we don't catch the bad then you know, imminent destruction of the Universe and all that."

Martha nodded instantly, understanding. Don looked slightly surprised she had understood and taken it into her stride so easily. "What's the plan?"

"Mirrored box," Jack answered, holding up the device in his hand. "We lure it and then catch it."

"Then what?"

"We'll think that up later," Don dismissed, waving a hand. "Let's go."

* * *

The four emerged out onto the Plass with the intentions of heading towards the TARDIS, but as the TARDIS came into view they all instantly stopped dead in their tracks.

A giant black cloud was hovering over the TARDIS, and what looked like liquid was seeping out of the closed doors and spiralling up into the air like a mini tornado. They watched, absolutely mesmerised as the blackness finally finished drawing itself out of the TARDIS to become one giant toxic-looking black cloud above them, shimmering.

Rain suddenly began to crash down onto them in a freak thunderstorm, lighting striking and thunder rumbling in what should have been a sunny May afternoon. The cloud shimmered from back to front like an unconventional Mexican wave... and then it began to take shape, gathering together in the sky to compress down into a smaller, denser form... Quicker than they could blink the black cloud had become the shape of a man – the Doctor – and was walking towards them across the Plass from the TARDIS, unwavering...

"Oh fucking shit," Jack whispered, terrified as the completely black spirit continued to stride towards them, unrelenting, his bright white eyes shining, his mouth twisted into an inhuman sneer...

"Hey Doctor!" Rose suddenly yelled, drawing the white sphere out of her pocket and holding it up in the air. "Look what I've got!"

The black spirit abruptly turned his head to Rose. His fists clenched. He saw the white sphere.

Then he was striding towards her.

Rose accelerated as though her feet were on fire, tearing across the Plass towards the sea wall with the white sphere in her tight grip.

"Jack! Now!" Don yelled, running after Rose and the spirit. Jack quickly ran towards the dark Doctor, drawing the mirrored box out of his pocket and throwing it across the Plass in the dark Doctor's direction. The spirit suddenly stopped dead inches before the trapping device, and sharply turned his head towards Jack... piercing him with those bright white eyes...

He suddenly morphed into a cannonball shape, and charged without hesitation towards Jack at seemingly 100 mph. There was absolutely nothing the ex-Time Agent could do as the cannonball slammed into him, the liquid-like blackness creeping up over his body like a second skin, holding him rigid as it forced its way down his throat, squeezing him, suffocating him...

Then the darkness peeled away, leaving the body of what had previously been Jack Harkness crushed like a tin can on the concrete, undeniably dead.

Don, Rose and Martha stared in complete disbelief at Jack's body as the spirit morphed once more into the form of the Doctor, and turned his attention back towards them.

"Retreat!" Don yelled, grabbing Rose's arm and tugging her back towards the TARDIS. The spirit was changing shape again, this time into a lance, pointing directly towards Rose and Don.

"Martha!" Don yelled, grabbing the white sphere out of Rose's grip and hurling it towards Martha. "Catch!"

She caught the sphere in both hands, almost tripping over her own feet. She looked down at the ball in her hands, astounded by the feelings she was getting... the memories of the Doctor... memories of when they had travelled together. The amazing things she had seen; the joy when he had invited her on board; the relief when he had saved her from the Macra; the shock and awe of when she had met Shakespeare; the elated joy when the Doctor had recovered from being hosted by the Sun...

But suddenly blackness flooded her mind of the bad times they had had... when he had fallen in love with Joan Redfern; when the Master had taken over the Earth; when the Doctor had been held prisoner...

Then more memories flooded her mind. Memories that were not her own, but really felt that way. Memories of a lonely childhood with no one but her own mind as a friend; indescribable emotional pain of her entire family dying by her hand; the physical pain of torture through every one of her limbs as she repeatedly told herself it was to protect Martha's family from the Master...

She looked up. The Dark Doctor was standing a metre away from her, staring at her with a face that didn't reflect anger any more. It was pain, it was loss, it was sadness. And she felt every bit of it.

She began to reach out to him. He reached out to her, to the white sphere in her hands.

"Martha!" a voice suddenly yelled, bringing her back to reality with a jolt.

"You're not getting him!" Martha shouted at the black spirit angrily, pulling back her arm and throwing the white sphere over to where Don and Rose stood next to the TARDIS. Rose caught it and dived inside the doors, Don beckoning Martha frantically.

"Come on!" he yelled. Martha ran across the Plass with her heart in her throat, feeling the darkness creeping closer and closer behind her...

She dived in through the TARDIS doors with Don quickly following, slamming it shut behind him. He ran over to the console, slamming his palm onto an elevated green button.

"Okay, that should keep him out for a bit," he gasped, out of breath. "Plan B, anyone?"

"He's unbeatable..." Martha said, trying to get back her breath. "We can't touch him!"

Rose's eyes suddenly lit up., looking down at the white sphere in her hands. "We can't... but _he _can."

She placed it down onto the console, and as before the white sphere exploded out in bright white light, taking the familiar from of the bright white Doctor with black eyes. Martha stumbled back in shock.

"We need you," Don said quickly to the spirit. "That thing, his dark side, we can't touch him. Only you can. You're the only one that can hurt him."

"_I... I..." _the spirit stuttered, looking as though he were about to cry. _"I... cannot. I am not strong enough to beat him."_

"Doctor," Rose said gently with a sense of underlying urgency. "You can do this."

"_I cannot..."_

"No, you _are_ small, you're tiny compared to him, but the Doctor doesn't let his dark side control him," Rose said quickly. "You are the dominant half, Doctor. I know you are."

"_His courage comes from his dark side," _the white ghost protested. _"I have no courage."_

Suddenly there was a massive thud from the TARDIS doors and the entire ship jolted, the three living occupants just about keeping their feet.

"No," Rose said again, meeting his eyes. "Courage comes from good, courage to save your friends, to save lives of people you don't even know. That's the Doctor. And you _are _the Doctor. You have courage, you just need to believe it."

"You're strong, Doctor," Martha said quickly. "You're stronger than you think. You are the only one who can trap him. We need you."

"I am you," Don joined in, nodding. "I know how you feel. You are the stronger one. You can beat him."

Another large jolt came, even bigger than the last. The ghost paused, looking between the three. _"I'm so scared," _he whispered.

"We'll be right behind you, Doctor," Don said quickly.

"Friends till the end," Martha said, smiling.

"We all love you," Rose said. "We believe in you. You can do this."

"_I... I love you all too," _the ghost said quietly, unreal tears coursing down his face. _"Okay," _he muttered, sounding hesitant. _"I'll try."_

* * *

**A/N: **Next chapter is borderline ridiculous.

Review reply! It must be doooooooooooone :o


	6. Totally Realistic

**A/N: **I really do apologise that I didn't review reply. But I do appreciate feedback and every single reviewer for doing it, I'm very humbled and happy :)

Feel free to tell me if this chapter is completely ridiculous and that I should probably go to a lunatic asylum... I really think I must been high when I wrote this or something :o

* * *

Chapter 6 – Totally Realistic

The light Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, hesitant and terrified. He looked around the Plass nervously, searching for his opponent as Don, Rose and Martha slipped out of the TARDIS behind him. The thunderstorm continued overhead as lighting crashed down around them, setting the scene perfectly for the final battle between the two forces.

"_Hello," _the dark Doctor grated in his snake-like voice, standing across the Plass behind the dead body of Captain Jack Harkness, mangled and broken on the floor at his feet.

The light Doctor swallowed. _"You killed him,"_ he whispered with tears in his eyes, staring at Jack's broken body on the floor. _"You killed our friend."_

"_He'll be alive again in a minute," _the dark Doctor replied without a hint of remorse in his voice. _"Then I can kill him again in a new and..." _he paused, taking in a breath that seemingly rattled in his throat. _"... Painful way."_

"_I can't let you do this," _the light Doctor said. _"You only wanted me, but now you've killed our friend."_

"_They deserve it!" _the dark Doctor almost yelled back, looking directly at the group of cowering people by the TARDIS. _"After what they did to us."_

"_They have done nothing bad to us," _the light Doctor protested.

"_They abandoned us. We were left alone for days on end, in pain, in the cold, in the dark at the hands of a man of our own race. We suffered to protect others... and what was our reward? To be left, abandoned by them both... alone... with the memories."_

Martha was gaping at the sight before her, her hand over her mouth in utter shock and horror. She turned to Don, who was staring fixated at the sight before him.

"Did you... he... did he really feel that way?"

Don didn't answer.

"_It was not like that..." _the light Doctor said quietly.

"_I wanted to unleash. I wanted to destroy all those who had ever hurt us, I wanted to cry and scream and rip the world apart. But there you were. Pesky, hanging around all the time... holding me back, pulling me down. I am bigger. I am stronger. I was always dominant. You are insignificant, weak. The Doctor will be stronger without you."_

He raised an arm towards the light Doctor, and a ripple of dark energy burst out of it towards him. The light Doctor was thrown to the ground with enough force to break a human's back.

"_Do not worry," _the dark Doctor said, laughing deeply. _"If you do not struggle, I will make it quick."_

The light Doctor laid on the floor, his aura dull. He tried to get up, but fell back onto the floor, weakened.

"Come on, Doctor!" Rose yelled from the side suddenly.

The light Doctor looked up at her, bright tears shining in his black eyes.

'Courage comes from good, courage to save your friends, to save lives of people you don't even know. That's the Doctor. And you _are _the Doctor. You have courage, you just need to believe it.'

He got up, spinning around to face his dark counterpart, his teeth gritted.

"_You're wrong,"_ he started strongly. _"You were never dominant. Saving all those people, protecting our friends. Love, hope, courage, that's me. that comes from good. I'm dominant. I might not be as big as you, but I shine brighter. I am the Doctor!"_

He threw out his arms, sending out a wave if white energy towards the dark Doctor, who flew backwards across the concrete. Panting for a moment, he got to his feet, his eyes shining brighter than ever.

"_We'll see about that!" _he screamed, and then it began. He threw out his arm, sending a wave of energy towards the light Doctor. The light Doctor raised his arms, crossing them over him to create a shield of light around him, the energy bouncing harmlessly off. He then threw out his arms, catching the dark energy as it bounced off of him with his own light energy and throwing it back towards the dark Doctor.

The dark Doctor launched up into the air, spiralling towards the heavens as the bolt screamed just underneath his feet and into the sea wall. He threw another couple of bolts down but the light Doctor spiralled up into the air to meet him, the bolts harmlessly crashing down into the ground. He held out his hand and suddenly a sword appeared in his grasp, a golden sword shining brightly with the power of light. The dark Doctor did the same, a black sword appearing into his hand that was etched with Gallifreyan symbols, sharp teeth sticking out along the blade.

They screamed towards each other at seemingly the speed of light, swords pointed it, ready for the ultimate clash. The sky was a blend of black, white, red and gold as they met in the middle in showdown, swords clashing and spinning quicker than light itself. It was as though two Gods were battling in the skies as they continued to fight in a whirl of power.

Jack suddenly appeared beside Don, Rose and Martha and staring up, jaw agape at the sight above him.

Suddenly the dark Doctor cried out as the light Doctor's sword slashed across his chest and he reeled backwards, glaring at the light Doctor with hatred. He launched forward once more, catching the light Doctor across his arm. He cried out as the dark Doctor had done, flying backwards and raising his sword once again.

The dark Doctor threw two bolts towards him, but he evaded with ease. He launched forward again, feinting to the left and catching the dark Doctor across the side of his ribs and disarming him in one.

The dark Doctor cried out in anger, swooping up into the skies and disappearing for a moment before dropping down across the Plass hovering in mid air, darkness floating out like tendrils around him. He smiled. Then he raised his hands in front of him, building new ammunition between his hands, looking like a black sphere of gloop...

The light Doctor gritted his teeth, and raised his dual swords. No going back. He launched towards the dark Doctor, screaming as he went...

They met in a giant explosion of black and white that rippled across the sky, the crash of thunder deafening in Don, Rose, Martha and Jack's ears. It spread out across the sky, completely darkening the whole of Cardiff until it shrank back to its origin and disappeared, leaving the sky clear and sunny in a beautiful Sunday morning.

Then there was silence.

But only temporarily.

Something fell from the sky, plummeting down and down like a shooting star until it smashed into the ground. The four observers strained to see who had fallen, but it just looked like the Doctor lying unconscious on the floor facing away from them. But then he faded away into dark goo-looking substance, gathered into a puddle on the ground.

Light had won.

"_Rose, Jack, Don, Martha," _a voice suddenly said from above, and within seconds the light Doctor swooped down from the sky and dropped neatly down before them, still wielding the two swords of light and dark. _"Thank you," _he said, smiling.

"You did it," Rose said, smiling back. "I told you you could."

He grinned again, truly looking like the Doctor. _"The Doctor has many dark feelings, secrets, and memories." _The light Doctor held out the dark sword to Jack, who took it, confused. _"This is a part of his memories, a bad memory he has. Only if he touches that will he remember it. Please, do what you see best."_

He drew back, the light sword disappearing in his hands, his hand and arm that were holding it glowing momentarily before dying down.

"_I thank you all, my friends, for your kindness. I will shine bright in the Doctor as long as he has your friendship."_

"He won't be able to get rid of me," Don said, grinning. Rose, Martha and Jack all nodded their agreement.

"_I must go," _the light Doctor said, glancing over his shoulder. _"You must do the rest."_

"Take care," Rose said, still smiling.

He nodded then turned away from them, walking towards the defeated dark Doctor. There was a sudden flash of bright light and the group shielded their eyes before they opened them to find a small sphere lying on the floor where the dark Doctor had been, shining bright white with black veins around the outside.

"We really should have filmed that," Don muttered, scratching the back of his head. "YouTube 100 million hits, thank you very much."

"Come on." Rose tore across the Plass to the small sphere, dropping down next to it and taking it into both hands. She felt the balance coursing through her of light and dark combined, and she let go a smile. "Let's take it back to the scientists."

* * *

Jack and Martha came with them this time as they met the same small red alien at the door. He beckoned them in excitedly, straight into a side room where a varying array of bizarre-looking devices sat stacked across the surfaces. He walked over to what looked like a blender, taking the sphere out of Rose's cupped hands and placing it inside. He pressed a button. There was a very short and quiet, 'ping!', and the sphere had disappeared.

"Foo moo ka tra la bah!" the alien said to Don, who smiled appreciatively.

"Choo," he replied, turning to the others. "He fixed it. The Doctor should be alive and back to normal. Talk about your deus ex machina."

Rose stared at him. "Err... he's buried in a coffin. With no air."

They all looked at each other for a moment.

"QUICK!" Don yelled, grabbing Rose's arm and pulling her back to the TARDIS, Jack and Martha hot on their tail, leaving a very baffled alien scientist behind them.


	7. But Muuuuuum

Chapter 7 – But Muuuuuum...

The Doctor opened his eyes.

But for some reason it was just as dark when they were open as when they were closed.

"Err... hello?" he asked tentatively, but by the way his voice was suppressed he knew he was in a very small, enclosed space. He reached up, and his hand pressed against a surface. He tried pushing it. It didn't budge. After a moment's struggle he managed to turn onto his side, and he rammed the surface with his shoulder. Nothing happened. Whatever was, it was well-fixed.

"Rose! Don!" he called, but there was nothing but silence. He mentally calculated how much air he had to breathe. At the rate it was depleting he barely had ten minutes before it ran out. He had his respiratory bypass, but that would only give him another ten minutes.

Had he been unconscious? Surely the air would've run out long ago if that was the case? Unless, he thought, maybe he hadn't been unconscious...

He now knew perfectly well where he was, but he didn't particularly want to believe it... Had he regenerated? Why would they bury him before regeneration?

He quickly ran his hands down his face and through his hair. No, he was still himself. None of it made sense. If he hadn't regenerated, and hadn't been unconscious, there was really only one viable option left...

He just hoped Rose and Don would get here pretty soon and get him out.

Ten minutes passed. He flicked on his respiratory bypass.

Another ten minutes went by before it ran out, and he fell unconscious.

* * *

The TARDIS churned into existence inside the church porch. Seconds later four people toppled out into the windy, rainy night, looking at their surroundings, frantic.

"Quick!" they ran across the graveyard to the newest grave at the end, checking the stone. This was the Doctor, all right. And the ground was undisturbed.

"Doctor!" Jack yelled into the ground, but knew it was beyond useless. He turned to the others. "We need a spade!"

"Does the Doctor have one in the TARDIS?" Martha asked Don quickly, who shook his head.

"He doesn't bloody grow vegetables!" he said, like she was an idiot.

"Then where the hell do we get a spade from?"Jack asked, panicking.

"Err... Homebase? B+Q? Somewhere that _sells _spades?" Don asked, turning to Rose.

"It's 3am, Don! They're not gonna be open!" Rose exclaimed, her arms waving.

"Okay okay, err..."

"Faster guys, he's not gonna last much longer in there!" Jack said quickly.

"Can we use the TARDIS?" Rose asked. "Pick one up from somewhere and bring it back?"

"No, no," Don muttered, hand on his forehead. "Donna isn't so good at piloting the TARDIS, we'd be lucky to hit the right week."

"Then what the hell do we do?!"

There was a pause.

"Wait! I got it!" Don yelled, finger in the air.

"What?"

"We'll steal one."

"What?"

"From someone's garden shed."

"What?!"

"Have you got any better ideas?!"

Rose blinked. "Well, no, but..."

"Then allons-y!!" Don yelled, grabbing Rose's hand and wrenching her across the graveyard to the gate. He turned back to Jack and Martha. "Err... you guys... burrow!" he shouted, then disappeared.

* * *

They dug and dug and dug with the stolen garden implements in the pouring rain. They were all soaked to the skin and frozen through with exhausted muscles, but they were not about to give up. Finally after twenty minutes Don's spade hit something solid, and he shrieked in delight.

"I've got it!" he yelled, finding a new energy within him to shift the last of the mud with Jack's help. Finally the coffin was revealed and Jack jumped down into the hole.

"Doctor! Can you hear me? Doctor!"

Jack reached down to the coffin, and, with one swift wrench, the lid came off to reveal the Doctor laid perfectly still, his eyes closed.

"Martha!" he yelled, slipping his arms beneath the limp Doctor and grunting as he lifted him up out of the grave for the others to take. Don, Rose and Martha hauled him out to lie on the grass, the rain hammering down on them all.

Martha checked him over as Rose tried to shield him from the rain with her coat, Jack clambering up out of the grave covered in rain and mud to kneel down beside him, eagerly awaiting Martha's diagnosis.

"He's gone into hypoxia," Martha muttered. "Lack of air. Jack, pump his chest five times over each heart, quick!"

Jack quickly obliged, pumping his chest in the beginnings of CPR. Martha then breathed into his mouth twice, before Jack resumed chest pumping.

"Come on, Doctor!" Martha urged, giving him air again. "You can do it!"

Minutes passed. But Martha wasn't giving up.

"Doctor, wake up!" Rose yelled into his ear as Jack resumed compressions. "Please!"

Suddenly the Doctor jerked, coughing chestily as he turned over onto his side, gasping for air. Relieved smiles burst onto all their faces as his eyes flickered open, gazing up at them all with bleary eyes.

"About time too," he said weakly, coughing and panting for air. Everyone laughed as Rose gathered him into a tight hug of sheer relief. He tried to push her away but she held on tightly, stroking back his hair as though he was her favourite puppy dog and pressing her cheek against his, searching for the warmth he had lacked in death. He was alive. He was breathing. Her emotions had taken her to hell and back on the most terrifying rollercoaster she'd ever been on, but it was okay. Everything was fine. He was fine. He was here, and he was alive.

He looked dazed and confused and tired all at the same time, looking up at her with those deep brown eyes of his that right now were barely registering her presence.

"You back with us now?" Jack asked, grinning down at him.

"What...?" the Doctor asked quietly, half asleep.

"Come on," Jack said, sliding his arms beneath the Doctor and lifting him up after Rose had drawn away. "Bed for you."

"I'm fine," the Doctor said tiredly, shifting in Jack's arms.

"Yeah right," Don said.

"Doctor's orders, straight to bed," Martha said sternly.

"But Mum..." the Doctor murmured in protest.

"Do what your mother says, Doctor," Don said sternly, hands on hips, enjoying the moment as everyone laughed.

"But Mum," the Doctor said again. "Dad said..." he trailed off as he closed his eyes, passing out. Martha quickly checked his breathing, before nodding in approval.

"Get him to bed."

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I haven't even WRITTEN the next chapter yet. :o


	8. The Memory That Never Was

**A/N: **Hmm, last chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8 – The Memory That Never Was

Rose and Don had been assigned the task of making the Doctor comfortable as he slept whilst Martha and Jack prioritised food and medical supplies respectively.

They took him straight to his own bedroom, Don setting him carefully down onto the bed.

"Hold him up," Don said, and Rose slipped her arms beneath the Doctor, pulling him to sit up. Don slipped his jacket off of his shoulders before they manipulated him to remove his shirt.

"He has scars," Rose pointed out, indicating two white scars, one across the side of his ribs and one down his chest, plus a dark one across his arm. "Where they got each other."

"I don't think they'll ever fade," Don said, frowning. "They'll be there through all his bodies."

"What do we tell him when he wakes up?" Rose asked, lying him back down on the bed carefully.

"The truth," Don said. "It's what I would want."

"And what about that sword?" Rose asked, bringing the cover up over the sleeping Doctor. "We'll hide it from him, yeah?"

Don frowned. "We don't know what memory is missing."

"But if it's bad, he won't want it," Rose persisted.

"Memories, both good and bad, make up the person you are," Don said. "Haven't you learnt _anything _ in the past few days?"

Rose sighed. "The dark part of him was just so big... all that stands in front of the Doctor bein' evil is that little tiny good part of him."

"Then we've just gotta give him a few extra hugs during the day," Don replied, beaming, but then his expression turned serious. "It's not really our call..." He looked at Rose, who was just staring at him, hopeful.

"How is he?" Martha's voice came from the doorway.

"Still asleep," Rose replied, tearing her gaze away from Don to Martha. She was holding the very sword they had been talking about.

"We have to give it back to him," Martha said straight. "It's _his _memory."

Both Don and Rose sighed guiltily, looking back at Martha in the doorway.

"Okay," Don said. "Who's gonna do it?"

Everyone stayed silent.

"I will," Martha suddenly said, placing the sword down in the floor next to the bed. "When he wakes up."

Don and Rose nodded, and left her to her medical duties.

* * *

The Doctor woke up feeling as though he'd just run around Planet Earth 99 times. He opened his eyes to find himself in his own bedroom in the TARDIS, semi-naked with his bedside light on. Someone was sitting next to him in a chair by the bed and he looked up to find Martha gazing off into the far wall, deep in thought.

"Martha?" he asked, tiredly.

Martha almost jumped five foot in the air. "Doctor! How are you feeling?"

"Bleh," the Doctor replied, sticking out his tongue.

"Don! Rose! Jack!" Martha called, and it was seemingly only a matter of seconds before all three charged through the door like excited dogs looking for their dinner, tripping over each other's feet.

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed, bright-eyed as she ran over to jump on the bed, almost sending him flying off with the bounce. She hugged him tightly.

"What happened?" he asked, smothered in Rose's hug.

"What do you remember?" Don asked.

The Doctor frowned. "We were in a base... somehow I managed to get electrocuted and then woke up in a coffin. Thanks for that, by the way."

Don gave a grin and thumbs up. "So nothing after that?"

The Doctor shook his head. "What happened?"

Don looked at Rose, who looked at Jack, who looked at Martha, who looked at Don. After a moment they all turned at looked at Don, who looked back over his shoulder at an imaginary person behind him.

"Me, then," he sighed, perching himself on the end of the bed as he began to explain from start to finish what had happened since he'd 'died'. The Doctor's eyebrows progressively got higher and higher as Don's tale drew to a close until they were almost at his hairline.

"Right," the Doctor said after he'd finished, lips pursed. "Okay, then."

Don blinked. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well it is a _bit_ far-fetched," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"Told you we should've filmed it," Don said, nudging Rose, who grinned.

"Just get some sleep, you're exhausted," Martha said sternly, staring at the others. Knowing what she was about to do they obliged, upping and leaving with cheery waves to the Doctor.

Martha swallowed, looking back at the Doctor.

"Doctor," she began, hesitant. "Your dark self said something... about the Year That Never Was..."

He looked at her, confused. "The year that what?"

"You know, the Valiant..."

"The who?"

Martha blinked, staring at him. He looked genuinely confused. Was this it? The memory he'd lost? If he couldn't remember being on the Valiant then he couldn't remember the Master... and what he did to him...

She looked down at the sword lying on the floor. The sword that would give that memory back to him.

And she just couldn't do it.

"Oh, nothing, sorry," she said, smiling. "Get some rest."

He was too tired to protest, closing his eyes and very quickly dropping off. Once she was sure he was asleep she quietly picked up the sword, and slipped out the door.

She found everyone in the Kitchen, chatting over a cup of tea. Once she entered they all fell silent and looked directly at the sword in her hand.

"Don," she said shortly, holding it out to him with tears threatening to overcome her. He took it, confused. "Hide it somewhere he'll never look."

He nodded shortly, getting up and disappearing into the corridor.

"You didn't?" Rose asked as she took a seat.

"I found out which memory he's lost," she said, staring at the table. "The Master. The Year That Never Was. He's forgotten it all."

Rose nodded. "You did the right thing."

"I hope so," Martha replied.

* * *

They said good bye to Martha and Jack in Cardiff the next day, the Doctor seemingly even more cheery than he had been before now the weight of the Year That Never Was was not on his conscience.

Soon it was only Don, Rose and the Doctor left in the TARDIS, just like before. The Doctor was back to robust health despite his near-death experience, bouncing around the console like a two-year-old. He'd been forced to concede that their story may in fact be true when he'd found the scars on his arm and chest that he definitely knew had not been there before.

Once Rose and Don were alone, she turned to him, poking him in the shoulder.

"Where did you hide the sword?"

He poked her back. "Not telling."

"Awww, come on?" Rose persisted, poking his shoulder again.

"I said _no,"_ he returned the poke. "He'll never find it, okay? Even I had issues with going in there."

Rose rolled her eyes, poking his shoulder again.

"Hey you two," the Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway, frowning. "Where are my Desperate Housewives DVDs?"

Rose and Don burst out laughing as they both bounded forward to hug him tightly, glad things were finally back to normal.

* * *

About a mile away inside the TARDIS interior sat a room that, until Don, hadn't been opened for hundreds of years. It hadn't been touch by time; still perfectly preserved, looking as it had when it had been prepared for use.

The Dark Doctor's sword was propped up against the wall next to a cupboard, out of place in such a room. The flooring was plain but the wallpaper was brightly coloured, mobiles hanging from the ceiling, still turning around above a small disused cot across from the door of the TARDIS Nursery.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N: **No sequel planned! :D

Well, what a random short epic. Did my respect points just decrease for writing about something totally random and rubbish? :o

Thanks for the reviews! You know I love you. Each of you in your own special individual ways :)

Lar


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